Breaking news: Huge boost as Nashville Predators Reunites With Legendary Goaltending Coach Back To The Staff

This summer, the Nashville Predators have been making moves, and their most recent acquisition isn’t very spectacular, but it will undoubtedly benefit the team greatly. Re-added to the staff is famed goalie coach Mitch Korn, who will serve as their Director of goalie.

The fact that Korn and Barry Trotz have been together for all but the last two years since 1998 is the first obvious reason why this move makes sense. Secondly, as previously said, Korn has a distinguished background in working with NHL goaltenders.

Fans of the Predators are aware of his exceptional work with Pekka Rinne, but he has also performed well with goalies like Braden Holtby, Semyon Varlamov, Ilya Sorokin, and Dominik Hasek. It was amazing to watch Holtby just step up and bounce back after a dismal 2017–18 regular season. He was on the bench as the Washington Capitals won the Stanley Cup in 2018.

I could write paragraphs upon paragraphs demonstrating Korn’s quality, but the timing of this move is part of what makes it so effective and compelling for the Predators. Soon, they’ll need to make some important decisions about the goalie, but in the meanwhile, supporters can relax knowing that Korn will be in charge of whoever is in goal.

Mitch Korn’s advice would be extremely beneficial to Yaroslav Askarov.

Given that he only has one season left on his deal, everyone knows that Juuse Saros is the Nashville Predators’ name to watch this offseason. By the time the 2024–25 season rolls around, it is hoped that he is traded or extended, and many would rather see a trade than give him $8 million or more a year.

The Predators run the clear risk of locking themselves into Yaroslav Askarov, who hasn’t shown much in the NHL, as their starting goalie in the future. It doesn’t matter if he is one of the most highly anticipated goaltending prospects in recent memory—you never know what the NHL version of him will look like. It could be risky to put too much weight on him and the team.

Those who were dubious now find it much more agreeable to cope with Saros and hand control over to Askarov after Korn joins the Predators. Though it is obvious that Korn cannot be the one to make or break Askarov, it is difficult to conceive that Korn would not be a tremendous benefit to Askarov given his talent and track record thus far.

With a few successful years in the AHL under his belt, Askarov has demonstrated his incredible skill, most notably his ability to recover from save opportunities and his tenacity in preventing scoring opportunities.

Despite this, his performance in this year’s AHL playoffs has raised questions about whether he is ready for a real role in the NHL. Askarov, who is vying for a position in Nashville next season, has had a postseason marred by subpar games and a recent injury. This is a really unfortunate news.

At the Predators’ post-season press conference, Trotz acknowledged that Askarov is getting close to being ready for the NHL but did not appear very concerned about it. He will undoubtedly need to make great progress once he reaches the next level, but knowing that he will be well-cared for throughout that time is a huge relief.

Given what he has accomplished with talent in his career, Korn will be duly trusted to develop Askarov. There’s every reason to be optimistic about Askarov’s future at this point, barring him from demonstrating something about himself that is genuinely irredeemable, which he hasn’t done.

Even Saros, should he want to stay, might see gains in his skill set under Korn given how good he is already. One of his few weaknesses is that, despite being a small goalie, he finds it difficult to make saves when screened. However, Korn has experience working with goalies who are on the shorter side, so it’s possible that he may help Saros in this regard.

Trotz has stated repeatedly that he likes Saros and wants to sign him to a long-term agreement, so it’s unclear what the Predators are doing in net right now. Trotz has one of the best coaches in the industry and a potentially generational talent in the system; at the same time, will he want to give Saros a big contract?

In any case, it appears the Predators will be able to maintain their team legacy of not having to worry about the goaltender position for a while.